Portland Archbishop Alexander K. Sample told his pastoral staff last month that the Archdiocese of Portland and the Baker Diocese would join the coalition opposing the same-sex marriage initiative.

In a Feb. 12 memo, Sample directed his staff to “do whatever they can to help support this effort” and said that “it is my intention to commit the energies of the Church to help defeat this initiative and to uphold the uniqueness and sanctity of marriage between one man and one woman.”

Today we posted a new Category of Links, “Labyrinths.” Right Margin. Hover over each link to determine whether the site supports or opposes labyrinths.

We strongly oppose labyrinths on Catholic-operated properties.

Our renewed interest in the existence of labyrinths approved by local Catholic officials began when The Grotto, a National Shrine to Our Lady of Sorrows in Portland, was attacked. Two statues were beheaded in December 2012.

We visited The Grotto Upper Garden and witnessed the damaged statues. It broke our hearts. And nearby is the pagan Labyrinth.

Whomever beheaded these blessed statues hate Catholics. The Grotto’s labyrinth is located on the Upper Garden level, near the Grotto Servite Monastery. Why is this tolerated?

The Grotto’s Labyrinth.

In Beaverton, Oregon a labyrinth was blessed by Catholic Auxilliary Bishop Steiner (retired) at the “Catholic-Lutheran” church, Mission of the Attonement . Bishop Steiner blessing labyrinth in Beaverton at the Catholic-Lutheran Community, Mission of the Atonement.

A third labyrinth locally is at the Catholic-operated Marylhurst College in West Linn.

Traditional Catholics must become familiarized with the history and dangers of this “alternative spirituality.” Labyrinths are not Christian! They are pagan. Labyrinths are part of Wiccan practices.

Your editor has viewed a variety of labyrinths on the Internet. Our conclusion is they are pornographic, some more so than others.

Temple of Kali, India

Labyrinth at Pakistani mosque

LEARN MORE ABOUT LABYRINTHS

We encourage Catholics to visit the websites listed under “Labyrinths”, right margin.

Catholic opponents of the death penalty sometimes seem to lose sight of the primary purpose of punishment. The Ca­techism of the Catholic Church (final text) says, “Punishment has the primary aim of redressing the disorder introduced by the offense.”

“Oregon is not a kill state.” Sister Helen Prejean, referring to her perception of Oregonians’ anti-death penalty sentiments.

But Oregon is a kill state. The first state to legalize “physician assisted suicide” of patients. And if we don’t become informed, we can write our own death warrant if we have a “Living Will,” which cleverly leads patients to choose “death by dehydration,” a type of assisted suicide (see Terri Schiavo).

Instead, all of us need an Advance Directivethat specifically states our wishes at end of life for water and nutrition. Water and nutrition are now considered by physicians as “medical care.” Wrong! These are necessary for a comfortable death.

You and I may be a patient in a Catholic hospital, like Providence, one day. Gone is the guarantee that we will be cared for by traditional nurses and doctors who will not want to kill us.

And I haven’t begun talking about how uncomfortable it is to see a Muslim nurse in a Catholic hospital! I’m shocked that the Archdiocesan Catholic Directory approved the photo below! But, then again, thinking it over, this archdiocese, like every diocese in America, is no longer thinking with Rome. It’s all ecumenism now, syncretism: all religions are equally valid to them.

Catholic Feminist Agitators’ Protest Included “Sacred Dancing” In an unsettling show of disobedience on a holy day, Portland area Catholic protesters mocked the Mass in the Park Blocks on Sunday, September 26.

‘Mass Defection: why local Catholics are skipping morning services this morning.’Willamette Week Sep. 22, 2010. Includes comment by Archdiocese spokesman Bud Bunce who says, “it’s unlikely the priests backing the demonstration will face discipline.” Marylee King, a 64-year-old parishioner at Resurrection Parish in Tualatin, counters that it’s important for her to get together with hundreds of sister Catholics unhappy about church leadership. ‘I’m fed up with inequality and injustice by the church hierarchy,’ King says.‘”

St. Francis parishioner “Jane Rickenbaugh practices sacred dance for Sunday’s public protest of the Vatican’s treatment of women.” Source .

Many, many photos at their site www.onespiritonecall.org . The Sentinel did not publish a photo of the dancing at least not online. Probably because its divisive, insulting and embarrassing!

These dissenting organizations and extreme fringe groups base their relevance on the sexual abuse scandal, i.e., women priestesses will solve the problem of homosexual predators. We totally disagree. They are using the scandal as an excuse to unleash their Ungodly Rage against Church teaching. We wish to point out that recently a Baptist Bishop of an Atlanta mega church stands accused of sexual abuse. Also, there are more cases of sexual predators in our public schools than in Mother Church. Educator Misconduct Report by Carol Shakeshaft in pdf concludes that one in 10 children is sexually abused in school.”

A list of organizations in the International movement for women’s ordination is at We Are The Church.

We look forward to the day when these feminist agitators, who are in a perpetual state of “revolution” attacking the Church, will find another institution to attack.

It is our view that the Vatican needs to ban dissenting publications like the ‘National Catholic Reporter’ which foment calls for women’s ordination. I’ve known of an entire parish (St. Clare’s) that read the paper exclusively. These dissenters need to be encouraged to leave the Catholic Church and join the Episcopalians where they’d feel more comfortable.

Never mind that a labyrinth is pagan. That this “hybrid” church exists is an example of what orthodox Catholic Michael Davis termed “False Ecumenism.” His talk of that same title is available as a download at Keep The Faith. Vatican II permits non-Catholics to receive Holy Communion in a Catholic Church only on rare occasions when a non-Catholic cannot find a church of his denomination. This is not a “rare” occasion. Fidelity and Action.

Mission of the Atonement Church in Beaverton will dedicate and celebrate the grand opening of its new labyrinth on May 2 at noon. All are welcome to join the festivities.

A brief ceremony will include blessings by Bishop Kenneth Steiner of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Portland and Bishop Dave Brauer-Rieke of the Oregon Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. The ceremony will be followed by music, food, games and labyrinth walking.

Mission of the Atonement is a community of Lutherans and Roman Catholics worshiping together. It is an inclusive, welcoming church.

The Mission of the Atonement labyrinth design is similar to the labyrinth of Chartres Cathedral in France and has been created by volunteers from the faith community. This outdoor labyrinth is open to all people as a non-denominational, cross-cultural gift for all who seek peace.

The labyrinth is an ancient pattern found in many cultures around the world. Labyrinth designs have been found on pottery, tablets and tiles dating as far back as 4,000 years. Native American, Celtic, Greek and other cultures have all used various labyrinth designs as part of their spiritual practice. In recent years there has been a world-wide renewal of interest in this ancient tool for meditation and prayer.

People describe a labyrinth as a path of prayer or form of walking meditation. The labyrinth is not a maze. There are no tricks to it and no dead ends. It has a single circuitous path that winds into the center and the person walking it uses the same path to return so the entrance then becomes the exit. The path is in full view, which allows one to be quiet and focus internally.

Photos of the church’s labyrinth can be seen at www.motaspirit.org . Stop in the church office for a cup of tea while you’re there. Office hours are Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

For more information, phone 503-646-1433 or e-mail info@motaspirit.org .

RELATED:

Charismatic Heresy: Labyrinth – ‘The current “revival” of the labyrinth is a “spiritual device” and NOT grounded in Christian piety at all. Labyrinths for spiritual “exercises” are alien to Catholic teaching and Catholic spirituality.’